Reds provide the iron against hopeless Hammers

20 Nov 2010 20:00:15

It was hardly a proper test of being able to cope without Steven Gerrard but Liverpool did more than enough to dispose of a woeful West Ham 3-0 at Anfield.With the captain out for a month with a hamstring tear manager Roy Hodgson called for his players to step up to fill the void and the Barclays Premier League's bottom side provide the perfect opposition.First-half goals from Glen Johnson - against his former club - and Maxi Rodriguez, either side of a Dirk Kuyt penalty, were enough to wrap up the points in the first half.The visiting fans were less than impressed and directed their anger at manager Avram Grant with chants of `you're getting sacked in the morning'.It is unlikely Liverpool will have an easier game this season and it was the ideal tonic for them after two poor performances in a 1-1 draw at Wigan and last Saturday's defeat at Stoke which ended a six-game unbeaten run.Raul Meireles looked better in a more accustomed central position, filling Gerrard's place, while Johnson and Rodriguez also did well and even the much-criticised Christian Poulsen had his best game since joining in the summer. If there was one criticism it was that Hodgson's side eased up so much after the break they lost all the momentum and rhythm built up in the first half.